For all intents and purposes, this had begun as a simple attempt on Emma's part to negotiate a truce with the tempestuous Mayor of Storybrooke. She had, with a few manipulating half-truths and her patented smile, arranged for Henry to stay with Mary Margaret, and informed Regina in no uncertain terms that she would be coming by the Mayor's home this Saturday evening. Emma wanted to see her son, and Regina had forbade it; the harder Emma pushed, the more steadfast Regina became in her resolve to keep the pair apart, until finally Emma realized that she was in desperate need of a change of tactics. Fighting Regina only encouraged her. Emma would need to try something else entirely to win the icy Mayor over to her side.
And so it was that with no small amount of trepidation and a very large bottle of wine, Emma made her way from her little yellow car parked on the street up to the front door of Regina's sprawling home. She rang the bell and waited patiently, staring up at the house looming before her. It really was lovely and it served as a physical reminder that Regina was everything Emma could never be for Henry: stable, consistent, well-off financially, respectable. In the weeks since Emma had arrived in Storybrooke the blonde had watched her life settle down into a kind of order that surprised her, and she found herself waking up every day feeling almost proud of herself and what she'd managed to accomplish. She wanted Henry to share in that. Wanted to show him that your life is what you make it, and that she was making her life better for his sake.
Finally the door swung open, and though Emma had been expecting to see Regina, she hadn't been expecting to see her quite like this.
Regina stood on the other side of the door, resplendent and practically naked, her disarmingly alluring figure covered only by a pale silver silk house coat. Of course that woman would lounge around in silk; an ordinary bathrobe would never be good enough for her. The question remained: why on earth had she dressed this way when she knew that Emma was coming? Regina was far too calculating for this to be a simple accident, but Emma couldn't quite figure out what the Mayor had hoped to accomplish.
"Sherriff Swan," Regina said, leaning in the doorway, "I'm afraid now is not a good time. If you need something from me, please come by my office on Monday." She started to close the door, but Emma reached out and caught it before she had the chance.
"Madame Mayor," she said, struggling to remain calm. Damn but Regina made her blood boil. "You agreed to meet with me tonight. I'm not leaving until we talk about Henry."
Regina's eyes narrowed and once again Emma found herself grateful that looks couldn't actually kill.
"Very well," Regina said, just a hint of exasperation in her voice. "But I have a pressing engagement I need to prepare for. Make it quick."
She stepped aside that Emma could enter, and briskly closed the door behind the blonde Sherriff before making her way through the house, heading for the staircase. She did not offer Emma a drink, not even her famous cider, but the blonde followed stubbornly, wine bottle still in hand. She would not let Regina send her away. They were going to have this conversation, whether the Mayor wanted to or not.
Regina led her up the stairs and down the hallway, into what could only be her bedroom. Once inside she headed straight for the attached bathroom, leaving the door open only a crack as she began whatever preparations she had in mind on the other side. Without a thought Emma dropped herself on the edge of the Mayor's bed, and waited.
"If you have something to say, Sherriff, now is the time," Regina called congenially from inside the bathroom. Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. This was not how she had intended for this conversation to go, but if this was how Regina wanted to play it, Emma would do whatever she needed to.
"I understand why you were concerned that I might want to take Henry away from you," Emma started, staring determinedly at the half-closed bathroom door. "But I wanted to clarify, I have no intention of taking away your legal rights. I gave Henry away, and you have built a good life for him here. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that." She paused, waiting for a rebuttal and wondering what on earth the Mayor could be doing in that bathroom that was taking so long. As Emma glanced around the bedroom she noticed a slinky black dress draped over a nearby chair, a matching set of black lace underwear folded neatly atop it. Her mouth went dry at the thought of Regina in the lingerie, and she forced herself to look away. The Mayor might be stunningly attractive, but she was also at this moment the only thing standing between Emma and her son, and Emma could not afford to allow herself to wonder what she might look like naked. Regina offered no argument and so Emma plunged ahead.
"All I am asking is that you give me the chance to be a part of his life. You have earned the right to be his mother, and I am asking that you give me the same opportunity."
That didn't come out quite like Emma had planned. That made it sound like she wanted Henry to have two moms and that implied a sort of relationship between Emma and Regina that could never, would never exist. She just meant he was her son, damn it, and she deserved to spend time with him.
Regina emerged from the bathroom, hair perfectly coiffed and make-up firmly in place. Her clear hazel eyes were softer than Emma had ever seen them.
"Henry is my son, Sherriff," she said, "And so I understand more than anyone your desire to be close to him. But you have to understand my position. I don't know you. You're telling me that you have no interest in taking him away, and that may be true right now, but who's to say that you won't change your mind? Again? You cannot seriously ask me to trust you."
Emma stared at the Mayor- at Regina- and had to ask herself the same thing. How could she ask this woman to trust her, when she had a less than stellar record when it came to keeping her word? She understood Regina's doubts, and she couldn't help but think that were their positions reversed, she would feel much the same way. If a stranger had turned up out of nowhere making demands on her son, straining an already tense relationship, she probably would have done precisely what Regina had done. Maybe not in the same way, but she understood the other woman's motivations. Love is a powerful thing.
"You can trust me, Regina," she said, daring to use the Mayor's first name, "Because I love Henry just as much as you do and I want what's best for him. Just like you do."
Regina sighed and gracefully sat next to Emma on the bed, a gesture of familiarity that pleased Emma even as it threw her off-balance. The Mayor smelled wonderful, like apples and cinnamon and a warmth that until this moment Emma believed the woman lacked entirely.
"Love," Regina said wistfully. "Love is a difficult thing, Sherriff. It can tear you apart or it can put you back together. How do I know that your love won't hurt Henry in the long run?"
"I guess you don't," Emma answered. "But one of these days you're going to have to start trusting people. Trusting me."
Emma had the strangest feeling that they weren't talking about Henry anymore. This moment, sitting next to Regina on her bed, close enough to feel the other woman breathing, this felt too intimate, too close. And what Regina said about love…her voice was so sad, so low and so open, revealing the truth that Emma had long suspected. Someone had broken Regina's heart, had hurt her immeasurably, had made her what she was. Someone had done this to her, loving someone had done this to her, and the thought occurred to Emma that maybe, just maybe, love could make Regina better. Make her happy again, if she had ever been truly happy at all.
Before she could think better of it the Sherriff reached out and placed a gentle hand on the bare skin of Regina's knee, and the Mayor did not shy away. She did not snap or rage or offer some snide remark. She sighed softly and remained motionless under Emma's touch. Her skin was so soft, so smooth under Emma's fingertips, and not for the first time the blonde found herself wondering what it might be like to run her hands up and down the length of those shapely legs. What it might be like to whisper softly in her ear, and watch a smile dance across those devastating features.
The moments ticked by, and Emma found herself not wanting to pull away. If anything she wanted to draw closer, wanted to feel all of Regina pressed up against her, and for once she didn't second-guess herself. She leaned forward and dropped the bottle of wine she still held gently on the floor before turning back to face Regina, never once moving her hand from the Mayor's knee. Regina's gaze was curious, apprehensive almost, as though she feared that Emma might be trying to use this sudden closeness against her. All Emma wanted to do was put those fears to rest.
"Regina," she said softly, keeping her voice low as though anything louder than a whisper might spook the Mayor and turn her back into the evil queen Henry claimed she was. Emma wasn't sure what she meant to say, and she never got the chance to figure it out because Regina reached out with a tentative hand and drew Emma's face to her own, soft lips meeting in what had to be the most unexpected kiss of Emma's entire life. Regina's mouth was pliant beneath her own, and Emma was overcome by how badly she wanted this. How badly she'd wanted it almost from the moment they first met, from the first time Regina challenged her and Emma found herself wanting to prove to the Mayor just exactly what she was capable of.
Regina was strangely reserved, holding herself back, and Emma wasn't about to stand for that. Regina had started this little encounter, had put Emma on edge from the moment she answered the door wearing next to nothing, and if she wanted to sit back and let Emma take charge then by God Emma was going to. She leaned into the kiss, running her hand up the length of toned thigh just visible under flimsy silk until she reached Regina's hip, pulling the other woman closer even as her tongue swiped over luscious lips, begging to be allowed inside. She had the feeling that Regina would taste like apples and sweetness, and she wanted to find out.
The Mayor opened her mouth in a silent gasp and Emma took the opportunity to delve inside, stroking Regina's tongue with her own, her heart racing underneath her tight white tank top and suddenly oppressive red leather jacket. Regina took action then, raising her hands to slide underneath the jacket, momentarily breaking the hold Emma's hands had on her body as she pulled the garment off before she tangled her fingers in long blonde curls and brought Emma's face even closer to her own. Emma smiled through the kiss when she finally felt Regina responding, tongues dueling between their mouths as each struggled to over take the other, so symbolic of the way their relationship had been up to this point.
Though Emma tried to ignore it, there was a quiet voice in the back of her mind warning that the Mayor could be up to something, that this might be a trick, that the woman had used sex to control Graham and might try to do the same thing to her new Sherriff, but it was Emma's own words that spurred her on. One of these days you're going to have to start trusting people.
Emma caught the ties of Regina's housecoat, hesitating for a moment as she gave the Mayor the opportunity to stop her, to tell her no, to push her away.
Regina did not say no. Instead she smiled, lips never leaving Emma's, offering all the permission the Sherriff needed. Emma pulled the ties and the coat fell open, revealing a tantalizing expanse of skin that she could not wait to explore with lips and fingertips. Regina pulled away from their kiss gasping, eyes sparkling, and brought a hand around to gently cup Emma's face. Emma felt as though her heart had stopped beating as she waited for Regina to say something, anything, to kick her out or pull her closer or give her some kind of sign as to what was going on behind those hazel eyes.
"You, my dear, are a bit overdressed," Regina said, an impish little smile on her face, and Emma laughed out loud.
"You wanna do something about that?" Emma teased, waiting to say which way this encounter was going to go. Would Regina want to be in charge, or would she be content to let Emma stay on top? What did she want? What did she need?
Regina dragged her fingers through Emma's hair and trailed them down her spine, leaving a path of fire in their wake until her fingertips dipped beneath the waistband of the blonde's jeans and Emma's vision clouded over with need. She crashed their lips together as Regina's hands danced across her waist to the button of her pants, undoing them with ease as Emma's tongue and lips and teeth worked furiously against the sinful mouth so soft beneath her own. Regina encouraged her to stand so that she could pull the blue jeans off, and they laughed together as she encountered the obstacle of Emma's trademark tall leather boots. Emma bent down to remove pants and boots herself, and when she righted herself she was face to face with a very naked Regina Mills sprawled across her bed, begging to be taken. And oh but Emma wanted- needed- to take her now.
Emma shrugged out of her tank top, bra following quickly after as Regina explored her body with hungry eyes. It was the expression on Regina's face more than anything that convinced Emma that the Mayor wasn't trying to use her; Regina wanted her, desperately, and there was none of her usual scheming superiority in her now. And Emma for her part wanted to give her exactly what her eyes were begging for.
Emma launched herself forward, pushing Regina back on the bed, breasts and hips and lips pressing tightly together, legs tangling in an erotic dance of skin on skin. Regina moaned and Emma grinned, dragging her lips down the smooth column of the other woman's throat, lingering on Regina's pulse point, desperately wanting to leave a mark but knowing that the Mayor would be angry with her for it in the morning. She continued her exploration before the temptation became too much to bear, dropping suckling kisses across the soft flesh of Regina's breasts, listening to the little whimpering sounds the other woman was making and reveling in the feeling of Regina's nails scratching down her spine.
Damn but this felt good, made Emma feel better than she had since she'd first arrived in this crazy town, and all she could think was how badly she wanted more. More of Regina, more of the sounds she made, more of the pleasure coursing through her body as she nipped and sucked at Regina's flesh. Regina only encouraged her, bucking her hips when Emma's tongue danced in a circle around her nipple, actually whining until Emma sucked the tender bud into her mouth. And then she was moaning, and Emma found herself completely addicted to this rush. To the taste of skin under her lips and the feel of the legs that had risen up to grip her hips, holding her firmly in place. She trailed her fingers up and down those legs, feeling the goosebumps rising in her wake, the tremble in the strong muscles, wondering what it be like to drag her lips from delicate ankle to shapely thigh.
She took hold of Regina by the hips and flipped the other woman easily, smiling when she heard the tinkling sound of Regina's laughter. This morning Emma would have said that Regina wasn't capable of laughter, but tonight Emma knew that there was so much more to this lovely woman than she had ever expected, and she knew that she loved the sound of Regina's laugh.
She kissed her way from one shoulder to the other, feeling Regina relaxing beneath her, strangely submissive and willing it seemed to let Emma do as she pleased.
And an idea began to take shape in Emma's mind. She had been wondering what Regina needed, and now it seemed that Regina was trying to tell her. Not guiding her in any particular direction, not giving orders, but allowing Emma to do as she pleased, and the Sherriff couldn't help but wonder if maybe the woman who was so in control, who kept the whole town running, might need the chance to let someone else take the wheel. She ran her hands down to the perfect swell of Regina's ass, squeezing the firm flesh there none too gently as she leaned forward, nudging dark hair out of the way with her nose until she could press her lips against the delicate curve of Regina's ear and whisper, "What do you want?"
Regina shivered and moaned in time to Emma's ministrations but did not answer. The blonde frowned and dragged one hand away from the Mayor's ass, slipping between her legs to slide through the wetness between the other woman's folds, feeling her arousal hot and damp against her hand. Regina thrust her hips backwards, clearly desperate for more, but she did not speak. Emma had a pretty good idea of what the Mayor wanted, but she resolved not to move until Regina told her.
"Regina," she whispered, her breath ghosting against the dark-haired woman's ear. "You have to tell me what you want." Her fingers continued to play through Regina's folds, the touch just enough to tease, and she could feel the other woman shivering beneath her.
"Please," Regina gasped, "Please."
"Please what?" Emma asked, kissing her neck softly. When Regina's only answer was a soft moan Emma sucked the flesh under her skin into her mouth, biting and teasing until a dark bruise rose on the back of the Mayor's neck and the woman finally answered.
"I want you inside me," she said, her voice almost broken as she gave in to Emma's demands.
"I can do that," Emma said, dropping a tender kiss on the mark she'd left on Regina's neck. She dragged the hand still playing with the Mayor's ass up the curve of the woman's spine, sliding around her neck, and just that simple touch was enough to send a rush of wetness against the hand Emma still held between the woman's legs. Emma smiled triumphantly and pressed two fingers inside Regina's tight opening, her hand never leaving the other woman's neck. Regina screamed then, thrusting back against her, desperate for more, shaking under Emma's body and the blonde couldn't resist. She rearranged herself so that her own damp center was resting against the back of Regina's thigh, and she ground herself shamelessly against her lover even as she picked up the pace, thrusting fast and hard into Regina, holding her in place with a hand on her neck.
"Fuck," Regina moaned and Emma, encouraged by this exclamation, slid a third finger inside, rubbing Regina's clit with her thumb and grindingly wantonly against her, chasing her own pleasure even as she sought to give Regina exactly what she wanted. They thrusted and writhed together until Regina was coming against Emma's hand, wailing and clutching at the sheets with her hands, her inner muscles fluttering and grasping at Emma's fingers, desperately trying to hold her inside, to drag her closer. And through the haze of her own orgasm Emma could only think that inside Regina was exactly where she wanted to be.
Emma collapsed to the side, gasping and shivering, flinging an arm out and over Regina and pulling the mayor close while the other woman continued to moan and writhe through the last of her own powerful orgasm. Emma held her, dropping kisses on one elegant shoulder until Regina quieted and they found themselves in a sort of post-coital bliss that Emma had not enjoyed for a very long time.
Regina rolled over to face her lover, and Emma was shocked to see tears leaving tracks down the other woman's beautiful face. She reached out to wipe them away, but Regina caught her cum-stained fingers before they reached their destination. She tenderly kissed the palm of Emma's hand before sucking each of her fingers into her mouth, gently laving away her own cum from each digit with careful tongue and lips. When she finished she kissed Emma's hand again and dropped it.
"Why are you crying?" Emma asked softly, and Regina smiled sadly.
"Don't worry dear," she said. "It's nothing. I'm fine." She leaned across the space between them and tenderly kissed the blonde, the gesture almost chaste after she had come to screaming orgasm with Emma's hand around her neck.
"Sherriff Swan, I think it's time for you to go," she said when she pulled back, turning away but not before Emma could see the sadness in her eyes.
"What? No," Emma said quickly, devastated by the very notion. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I think you and I both know better Miss Swan," Regina said, struggling to maintain her usual aloofness.
"Regina," Emma sighed, reaching out to touch her lover, feeling somehow lost when Regina flinched away.
"Either you leave now or you stay, but we both know you won't be here in the morning. At least this way, when I wake up alone I'll know it's because I told you to leave, and not because you decided you had somewhere better to be."
What happened to you? Emma wondered, heartbroken at how certain Regina was that Emma would hurt her. She scooted forward, pulling Regina into her arms and kissing the bruise she'd left on the other woman's neck.
"I'm going to be here when you wake up," she said. "I'm not going anywhere."
Regina remained tense for a moment, and Emma was beginning to wonder if maybe she shouldn't just get up and leave as Regina had requested when finally the Mayor relented, easing herself back against Emma and twining their fingers together where Emma had slung her arm over Regina's hip.
"Sleep now, Regina," Emma murmured, and even though she couldn't see it, she was pretty sure the Mayor smiled.
···
Emma awoke sometime later to the sound of her phone vibrating happily in her pants pocket. She carefully disentangled herself from Regina's grasp and scooped up the phone before rushing out into the hallway to answer it, hoping not to wake her sleeping lover.
"Sherriff Swan," she said quietly.
"Emma, it's Sidney," a familiar voice came from the other end of the call.
"Sidney? What time is it?"
"It's 3:30."
Emma groaned. "Sidney, this had better be good."
"It is, I promise. I need you to meet me down at the hospital."
"Sidney-" she started to protest, but he cut her off.
"Meet me or don't, it's up to you. But today's paper goes to the printers at 4am, and I've got a story that's gonna blow the lid off Madame Mayor's perfect image."
Emma's head jerked up, staring through the half-open door to where Regina's naked form lay, sleeping peacefully with an Emma-sized empty space in the blankets next to her.
"I'll be there as soon as I can Sidney," she answered.
She hung up the phone and ducked back inside, gathering up her clothes and dressing quickly. She smiled at Regina, still asleep, and looking more peaceful than Emma had ever seen her. She kissed her lover gently and slipped out the door. She had plenty of time to calm Sidney down and be back at the Mayor's mansion in time for breakfast.
···
Regina woke to sunlight glinting in through the cracks in her blinds, and smiled softly to herself, still feeling the pleasant ache Emma's hand had left between her legs. She rolled over to face her blonde lover, and her smile faded. Emma had left, just like Regina always knew she would. Regina rose on shaky legs, ripping the sheets that still smelled like Emma from the bed and cursing herself for being so foolish. How could she ever have trusted that woman? What was she thinking? Rage was better than sorrow, and so Regina chose anger over tears.
···
The smell of coffee floated through Emma's nostrils, waking her slowly and dragging her back to the present. She lifted her head from the desk where she'd fallen asleep and found herself face-to-face with a very unhappy looking Regina Mills.
"Good morning, Sherriff, " Regina said, placing a cup of coffee in front of Emma before taking a sip of her own.
"Regina, I can explain-"
"Oh, I'm sure you can," Regina answered. "I'm just not interested. Although I do find it odd that when you had two perfectly good beds to choose from, you decided sleeping in your office would be the best course of action."
"Regina-"
"I wasn't finished, Miss Swan. I just came by to thank you for showing me that I was right all along. You can't be trusted. And I'm not going to let you anywhere near my son."
Regina leaned forward, clear eyes flashing. "If you thought your life here was hard before, Sherriff, you have no idea what's coming."
And without another word she spun on her heel, leaving the Sherriff's office in a haze of apples and disappointment. Emma hung her head, fighting the urge to cry.